Soukous (a term derived from the French secousse or ‘to shake’) came to life in those years, blending together the rich local folk repertoire with the appealing Caribbean beats. In the following decades, the style grew up exponentially. It ramped up its tempo and, being “born to be danced to”, spread its popularity all over the African Continent and Europe.
Since its formation in the early ‘70s, Orchestra Baobab has been one of the most original interpreters of soukous. The Senegalese band adapted the Central African music to their Casamance heritage and even added some North African scents to it.
Since Orchestra Baobab will bring their so-called Senegalese rumba to London on the 30th of October, we asked to TASH LC, one of their biggest fans and of London’s most interesting and danceable DJs to retrace the history of soukous, and introduce us to the style through 15 tracks.